Paradise and the Eternal Nightmare
by Enigma-Nemesis
Summary: The Fourth Holy War is about to begin... Will Alexiel lead Hell to glory? Will Michael reunite with his brother? What about Rociel? Everyone else? An alternate universe focusing on the fantasy elements!
1. The Calm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Angel Sanctuary, although I wish I did. All names, characters, etc. having to do with Angel Sanctuary in my fanfic is the property of Kaori Yuki. So, please don't sue me!

**Author's Note: **This story takes place in an alternate realm, where Alexiel is not yet sealed, and where Lucifer's soul is trapped in Alexiel's sword. Setsuna, Sara, Kira, and any other human characters in the manga do not exist in this realm. Only the non-human characters from Angel Sanctuary play a role in this story.

WARNING: Rare use of mild language (F word, B word), occasional scenes of mild violence and gore. You have been warned! Also, please don't criticize about my grammar, because I already know it's not that good, especially having to do with thetenses. Read at your own discretion!

**Paradise and the Eternal Nightmare**

Chapter 01: The Calm before the Storm

Prelude to the Fourth Holy War, 2999 AD

_Assiah – Heaven Outpost of Anagura (1st Layer of Hell) _

The stench of Assiah was foul and dirty as usual, or as the humans call it, Earth, thought Michael, one of the four great archangels and the elemental angel of fire. The hotheaded angel surveyed the block-like, human structures that were within the outpost's range of view. He criticized the humans' dull sense of design before he walked away from the view. The seraphim, Sevotharte, who he absolutely despised, ordered him to watch over the gates leading to the first layer of Hell. He claimed that Metatron, the youthful prime minister of Heaven, had a terrible nightmare where the denizens of Hell will revolt once again very, _very_ soon. Since the young prime minister occasionally has a premonition or two, Sevotharte did not dare risk ignoring the possibility. Thus, Sevotharte sent a messenger to Michael's throne, assigning him to his new task.

Michael grinned with pleasure as he recalled charring the messenger into molten metal, since, as usual, Sevotharte used an android to give out his orders. Michael knew from past experiences that Sevotharte was a coward, giving out orders but never going himself. Michael even suspects him of using Metatron for his own selfish ambitions.

"Talk about paradise", snorted Michael. The humans, who believe that heaven is paradise, are far from the truth. No matter where they go, heaven or hell, there will always be despair, corruption, and endless suffering. The only things that make heaven better than hell would be the fact that it appears to be cleaner, and that God is the most powerful being in existence. Unfortunately, he has been absent for thousands of years, which may explain why heaven is so chaotic now. Other than that, Michael really had no damn clue why people should be overjoyed about going to heaven after death. Humans are foolish, mere creatures created by God, Michael thought to himself.

After that little bit of pondering, Michael walked away from the view and headed to his living quarters here in the Assiah-Anagura outpost. The outpost was a cloaked fortress that floated above the entrance between Assiah and Anagura. The gate, which can only be seen by demons and angels, was a massive, round door forged from unholy ether. Demonic writing was encrypted along the rim. Furthermore, it was protected with powerful enchantments from the Zodiacs of Heaven. Therefore, only the strongest of demons or angels could break this seal, and anyone who dares to do so would pour all the demons into Assiah, and then potentially into the heavens.

In history, the demons have broken it only three times since the beginning of time, and every time the ones who broke it were the Seven Fallen Angels and... to Michael's dismay and anger, his former brother, Lucifer. Michael never forgot the day when Lucifer, known in heaven as Lucifel, turned into a fallen angel and was banished to Hell for all eternity. This not only shocked him, but it also scarred his reputation in Heaven, since Lucifel was his older brother and the morning angel, which was the second highest possible rank in Heaven for an angel, apart from Adam Kadamon. Michael's comrades began to lose trust in him, because of his brother's actions. Michael hated him for that. So, when the First Holy War broke out many, many years ago, Michael was determined to regain his reputation and honor by defeating the one person he cared most... his brother. After a long, exhausting duel between his blood-related enemy, he killed Lucifer... temporarily, for he knew that it was impossible to kill a demon that was immortal. Angels and demons of high rank naturally reincarnate themselves once they have been slain, and slowly regain their original powers. So, after slaying Lucifer, Lucifer disappeared and never appeared again since that one, fateful day. After the war ended, all of heaven praised Michael as a hero for vanquishing the great "Prince of Darkness".

Despite earning back his reputation and despite gaining more control of heaven, he still regretted killing his own brother, the one who helped him become a skilled fighter in heaven. If it weren't for his brother, he would have been some unrecognizable angel like the majority of them. It was because of his brother's former status that people knew about him. He truly regretted what he did to his brother to this very day. No one in heaven, or, Michael suspects, in hell, knew the whereabouts of Lucifer since his defeat in the First Holy War. The lower ranks assumed that he was gone for sure, while those higher up in rank believed that he was merely bidding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to rise up to the Heavens and overthrow God. Michael, however, had no damn clue what to believe. His brother, at least when he was an angel, knew that he could never defeat God, or even the six-winged angel, Adam Kadamon. However, if he changed completely when he was marked as a fallen one, it's possible that all his logical thinking became twisted. That could explain why there was a Holy War in the first place. Then again, what if he did that on purpose, knowing that he would lose? What if he had achieved something in the long run? The next two Holy wars were caused by the Seven Satans, and those wars were quickly put to an end. Without Lucifer, the beings of Hell didn't stand a chance at overthrowing Heaven. So Michael wasn't sure whether or not his brother's "other" plan had succeeded. Michael's mind became so confused that he decided to stop thinking about it. The only being other than Lucifer himself who knows the true reason as to why he fell would be God, the creator of everything.

Michael continued walking to his living quarters while thinking of something else until he unintentionally overheard a conversation between to angel guards.

"Did you hear about the rumors going on in Heaven? It's unbelievable..." whispered one guard to the other. The other guard nodded.

"Yeah, where do you think that person disappeared off to...?"

Michael, who hated things he didn't know about, walked towards the two guards and glared at them with a pissed off expression. "Would any one of you care to tell me what the fuck you're talking about?" he said dangerously, cracking his knuckles to emphasis the situation the guards were in.

The two guards stared back at Michael with fear, fully aware about his short temper that can make any problem turn ugly... and burnt. They straightened up and saluted him nervously.

"S-sir! Uh, we mean- Oh great and mighty Michael, the great archangel of-"

"Cut the crap, and get to the fucking point you assholes! I don't need be greeted like that every damn time!" Michael warned frustratingly. The guards quickly nodded and began to explain the conversation they just had.

"Sir, there's a rumor spreading in all of Heaven, claiming that the organic angel, Alexiel, has suddenly disappeared and no one knows where she is!"

Michael stiffened. Alexiel, the organic angel who is ranked the same as her brother, the inorganic angel Rociel, and is one rank below his brother's former position, the morning angel, has disappeared... Why, and, for a being with such presence and power, how can no one find her? Something was definitely odd...

Mere seconds after he heard this interesting revelation, Michael and the two guards heard loud rumblings underneath them. Sensing something wrong, they quickly dashed to the place where Michael viewed outside just a few minutes ago. The three angels looked down and saw the ground rumbling and shaking violently, opening up fissures around the round gate. The human structures nearby collapsed and fell one by one, blowing up lots of smoke into the sky. The humans' death wails echoed throughout the sky.

Bright, hot fire blasted from the cracks on the ground hundreds of miles high, beyond the clouds. The sky darkened as more and more black smoke bellowed from the human city and the fissures on the gate. The demon writing along the rim of the gate began to glow orange. Michael had only one explanation for this: Someone opened the gate of Anagura.

The doors of the gate opened up slowly from the ground, and to the horror of the two guards beside Michael, thousands upon thousands of hideous demons poured out of the gate, overflowing onto the surface like an army of ants, or spiraling towards the floating outpost in a chain-like formation. The screams and war cries of the demons rumbled through the sky, and they grew louder and louder as more of them rose from the gate.

Michael had a good idea as to who unleashed these foul creatures from Hell. In fact, it all made sense, and the rumor he just heard from the two guards pretty much confirmed it. Alexiel has begun a fourth uprising of Hell, resulting in the Fourth Holy War. Michael merely smirked from this. He was finally going to get some action after so many years of the so-called, "peace". Michael unsheathed his massive sword, and wiped it with a cloth from his pants' pockets, until it shined brilliantly. He turned towards the other two guards and grinned at them.

"Well, are you two assholes coming or not? We've got some demon slaying to do!" grinned Michael as he leaped high into the sky, spreading his magnificent wings, before descending towards the ground where he'll come face to face with the horde of demons. The two guards looked at each other, then grinned as well as they too leaped out of the outpost and spread their wings, trying to catch up with Michael, their leader, their hero, their savior. The descent of Michael caused nearly every other angel within the outpost to follow after him, brandishing weapons ready to spill the blood of those who dared to oppose them, in the Fourth Holy War between Heaven and Hell.

_To be continued..._


	2. Alexiel's Wish

**Author's Rant: **Here's another chapter! I'd like to thank **Adel** (are you actually the adel-chan user on ?) and **Oya** for reviewing my first chapter v. I hope many other fellow users get a chance to read my story! Sorry about the long update, but I've been busy with tests and projects being due every single day at school (sighs and lets out a whimper). Once again, enjoy the chapter and please review!!! m( )m

Chapter 2: Alexiel's Wish

Pre-Fourth Holy War, 2999 AD 

_Anagura – Anagura Hell Gate to Assiah_

Alexiel stared into the massive, grand ceiling of Anagura, and observed the massive round gate stuck up there. Her curly, shiny, brown hair went down to her waist, waving and flowing in the air lazily.

The ceiling above was dyed in crimson red blood from those whose blood have been spilt in the previous wars. Oddly enough, the once dried up blood began to return into its liquid state. It appears that the gate was thirsting for more war and blood to feed on. The necromancers of her armies, with their disgustingly demented, bone wings, circulated around the gate, chanting a curse to release the enchantments. The encryptions on the gate began to glow brighter and brighter, as the heavenly enchantments weakened.

Below the gate, on the grounds of Anagura, thousands upon thousands of demons stared and raised a hand towards the gate, as if they felt they could reach towards the heavens and desecrate it. It has been many, many years since they got the chance to kill the ones they despise the most, apart from themselves, the angels and most of all, God.

Indeed, it was their own actions that condemned them to eternal damnation, Alexiel thought. She knew that winning this war shall not set them free from their misery and sin., but they believe they can be released from it if they take down the one who gave them it. Unfortunately, Alexiel knows that their mistakes will haunt them forever until the end of time. However, she didn't really care if they realize that or not, as long as she has an army that will aid her indirectly in her own personal quest, which is to reawaken her one true love from the sword she possesses, Nanatsusaya.

Ever since his disappearance from Heaven, she felt torn inside her heart. Sure, they met in a not-so-kind way in the Garden of Eden, but he was the only person that ever visited her before from some other area of Heaven. He was handsome and strong, giving off an aura of supreme authority. His presence, alone, in an evenly matched battle could turn the tides to his side's favor greatly. Everyone idolized him in all of heaven.

Now, everyone in hell did too, in an envious way. Alexiel saw him only once, but it was enough to make her want to be with him forever. She fell in love with him the moment they looked at each other when he was descending down from the sky, sword in hand, towards her. His cold, merciless stare at her was something she loved about him, because it reminded her about herself. His four, magnificent white wings was fully spread out, and they radiated with an aura like no other wings she ever witnessed before. It was the first time she ever felt her heart skip a beat from seeing someone. Not even her brother, Rociel, or God could have made her feel the way she felt at that time. The moment he fell on her, she attacked back through instincts, and wondering why such a beautiful thing would want to meet her. They merely exchanged a few words before he disappeared from the Garden of Eden. She never found out his purpose for visiting her with the will to harm her, but then retreat as quickly as he came.

Many years later, when she heard about his banishment from Heaven, she was shocked. Who would have thought the third most powerful being would make God angry? What has he done to make such a highly ranked angel as him become exiled for all eternity? These questions constantly floated around her mind even to this very day... Then, she heard about him forging a new world that would counter Heaven... Hell. For the first time since the creation of Earth, Heaven had an enemy. Soon after he gained an army that was based on the number humans referred to him with: 666. Hell had a total of 66 princes and princesses, each commanding 6666 legions, and with each legion containing 6666 demons. He had amassed an army of demons equivalent to half of the world's population at that time, which was an amazing feet for one fallen angel. Many of the princes and princesses were once angels of high power in Heaven. However, due to their undying loyalty to him over the creator, they too, became fallen angels.

The first holy war was a bloody one, where millions upon millions of angels and demons clashed in Heaven, Hell and Earth. His army compared to hers for the fourth holy war, was massive. It outnumbered her army at least 50 to 1, and he had the aid of the seven great, fallen angels. Unfortunately, she couldn't rally them for this war, because they believe they only have a chance to win over Heaven if_ he _was leading the army. Due to the absence of those seven demons, millions of more demons refused to fight alongside with her. They believe she just wanted to take over Heaven in revenge for being loved less than her brother Rociel, by the creator, and nothing else. They thought her actions were too extreme for such a reason.

However, the _true_ reason why she wants to begin another war with heaven and hell is because she wants to find something... or _someone_ in heaven that will awaken _him_ from his deep slumber. She did not want to announce her mission to reawaken him, because many demons did not want to be controlled through tyranny again. Sure, Hell was a lot stronger back during his reign, but everyone had to obey his orders absolutely. Many did not want to take orders from only one person...

Then again, Alexiel thought, if they didn't want _him_ back, wouldn't they have, as the seven fallen angels said, "no chance" in winning a war with Heaven? They want to carry out their revenge on Heaven, but they don't want to bring back the one who is capable of doing so. It just didn't make any sense to her! So, in his place, she has decided to take the position as the commanding general of a demon army willing to battle against the army of heaven. _Hopefully_, although that is a feeling for those siding with Heaven, she and her army will push far enough into the heavens to find something or someone to revive her true love, and their leader, _Lucifer_.

As she was thinking to herself, she didn't notice Kurai fly down beside her, coming off one of the NidHegs (a zombie-like dragon).

Kurai, a young, silver-haired girl with dark skin, was a child of the Gehenna royal family and a Dragon Master. She is an admirer of Alexiel, because Alexiel was a beautiful and powerful angel. She chose to side with Hell in a war where she should be against it. Alexiel told Kurai earlier on that she wanted to revolt against God, because He never loved her as much as He loved Rociel, her brother. However, Kurai knew she had another more personal reason to start a war with Heaven. She _sensed_ it within Alexiel, thanks to the help of the dragons she could summon, Jade, Amber, and Agat. She felt she shouldn't ask her though, because she thought it would be impolite and not right. She would only find out if Alexiel told her, and until then, she will wait and support her in this fight. A fifth of the demons comprised of Alexiel's army were under the Gehenna kingdom. They were willing to fight with Alexiel only because Kurai asked them to. She nodded and grinned to herself in approval of their loyalty to her. Soon, the gate leading to Assiah and, eventually, Heaven, will soon be opened, and the fourth holy war will begin. She went up to Alexiel, as the Vice-General of her army.

"Is it almost time, Alexiel?" Kurai asked, who was the only person that was permitted to call Alexiel by her name.

Suddenly, Anagura began to experience trembles, and the round gate on the ceiling was spinning slowly, but surely. The necromancers that circulated it now descended to their respective battalions. The cheering and roaring of the demons could be heard throughout Anagura. The imps ascended upward in spirals, the devils spread their black wings and flew vertically towards the opening gate, and the NidHegs began to soar into the air like a serpent in water. They were ready to be the first out of the gate, and into the battlefield of Assiah. The thousands of other demons piled atop of each other, forming a mountain that became bigger and bigger at an alarming rate. They were all thirsting for blood, death, and ultimately, victory.

Alexiel turned her gaze from the gate to Kurai, and smiled.

"It is time, Kurai."

To be continued...

P.S. I may have changed some characters' personalities, so please don't question me about why they may be different! Also, regarding the explanation of 666 in this chapter, I learned one possible meaning from "The Complete Book of Demons and Devils" by Leonard R.N. Ashley. I altered it a bit to fit the Angel Sanctuary realm, since it states 66 princes, when some of those are females in the story.


	3. Confrontation: Part 01

**Author's Rant: **I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed my story (bows to every reviewer). Sorry for taking so long to update, because I'm having writer's block with this story presently, and I've begun another fanfic (a crossover of several anime series!). This will be a **short** chapter… again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm going to answer a few questions asked within the reviews so here goes…

Oya – Yes, Mi-chan will be back again! He will be the main character along with Alexiel for the upcoming chapters… at least for NOW (snickers). I won't reveal much here… all I can say is wait and see, heheh grins evilly. Answering your second question, YES, you did say that question before, but I forgot to reply… sorry laughs nervously

Adel – Thanks! I'm happy to hear that someone else likes to see a Lucifer x Alexiel pairing! smiles happily for your second question: Well, all WILL be revealed when the time comes smiles mysteriously I'll eventually mention about that later on in the story so don't worry about it at the moment. Third: I KNEW you were Adel-chan! I read your Angel Sanctuary fics, and when are you going to update YOURS??? Please update yours soon!

Serpentine Wisdom – Hmm… does Michael want Alexiel to awaken Lucifer? Well, to be honest, I'm thinking about what to do there… haven't really gotten that far into my story, so I afraid I can't answer that… yet. Don't worry, I WON'T add ANY human characters (yes, I'm looking at you, SETSUNA! Katou, well, I'm assuming he's a human, since he was that kid… I think…). About the grammar errors, please forgive me! I suck at grammar! I'm not very good with correcting grammar mistakes, particularly tenses, so please bear with me! I definitely don't mind constructive criticism btw peace sign. Thanks for complimenting me on how I portray Michael so far too! I'm trying my best to keep him as similar to his attitude in the manga as much as possible. Don't be surprised if he gets out of character later on in the story, because I'm not too skilled at maintaining there personalities perfectly. I'm just a fanfic newbie anyways… I guess (lol).

I'd also like to thank with all my heart these other people for reviewing this story: **Deaziel-Miyasome, Stormy soul, diamond hunter, and Akane-Sasakawa. **If I didn't mention your name, I apologize! (I can be dumb at times, so…)

**P.S.** I intend to make this story around 40 chapters, so if you ask me a question about the characters and their actions later on, well, just to forewarn you, I'll probably explain it later on at the appropriate time (hopefully…)

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Chapter 3: Confrontation Part 1 First Hour of the Fourth Holy War,

_Assiah, Near Heaven's Outpost of Anagura_

As he plunged into the crowd below him, Michael arched his wings inwards, closer to his body. He began to pick up speed, as feathers from his wings formed a trail from behind. He repositioned himself, aiming for a flock of imps that spiraled absentmindedly towards the heavens, unaware of his coming presence. A second before he collided into an imp, he stretched out his wings and revealed his brilliantly shining sword. He slammed into an imp, knocking the air out of it, and impaled its chest. Blood blasted out from the imp's back as the sword found its way through its victim. The imp let out a cry of pain, as Michael wrenched the sword out of its body with one powerful kick.

Immediately after that, another imp from the spiraling group confronted him head on in raging fury, shouting words of blasphemy at him. Michael smirked sinisterly before swinging his sword down on the imp. Blood and dark red flesh spilt from the imp, as it was sliced in half almost perfectly.

The other imps, previously unaware of what was happening to their comrades, quickly surrounded Michael and stared at him with bloodthirsty eyes. Saliva dripped from the mouths, as they thought about how Michael would taste. They knew this angel possessed immense powers, and they were eager to take it for themselves.

Michael smirked.

"Prepare to die, fuck heads!" Michael laughed, as a massive ball of fire formed a barrier around him, then blasted outward from his body.

He closed his eyes and listened to the screams coming from the imps, who were slowly burning up and disintegrating into ashes. When he opened his eyes, all he saw ash floating away in the air. Satisfied with the power he restraint due to the lack of wars for so many years, he flew further downwards, hoping he'll encounter a few Nidhegs and devils. Hopefully, he will encounter the one person he has been dying to see…

…_his_ _brother. _

_To be continued…_

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Author's Rants: Sorry for posting such a short chapter, since I still haven't really decided how I should write out the events after this… it's sad, I know, but tough luck (especially for me).


	4. Confrontation: Part 02

**Author's Rant: **Sorry for not updating in such a long time… I've been infected with the infamous gasp! writer's block... again sweat drops . Anyway, after reading a lot of excellent fan fictions from Inuyasha, Angel Sanctuary, Zelda, Suikoden III, Sailor Moon, Ah! My Goddess, Ranma, Love Hina, Tenchi Muyo, etc., my motivation to write fanfics myself has been restored once again!

I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers of the short chapter 3 like **sponge-almighty, Oya, and CrimsonKnight14!**

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, which will hopefully compensate for the length of the previous chapter. For all those reading my other stories (refer to my profile page), "Living Together" will have another update by the end of this week! Anyway, enough of my ranting, read onwards!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Angel Sanctuary. However, I do own some magic spells that I made up for this story, along with some entities, spirits, etc.

**Types of dialogues:**

"talking"

"_chants, spells, etc."_

'_thoughts'_

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Chapter 4: Confrontation Part 2 – Plans Set in Motion

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

**If you don't want to review last chapter's events, please skip until you see a "PRESENT" heading.**

_First Hour of the Fourth Holy War,_

_Assiah, Near Heaven's Outpost of Anagura_

_As he plunged into the crowd below him, Michael arched his wings inwards, closer to his body. He began to pick up speed, as feathers from his wings formed a trail from behind. He repositioned himself, aiming for a flock of imps that spiraled absentmindedly towards the heavens, unaware of his coming presence. A second before he collided into an imp, he stretched out his wings and revealed his brilliantly shining sword. He slammed into an imp, knocking the air out of it, and impaled its chest. Blood blasted out from the imp's back as the sword found its way through its victim. The imp let out a cry of pain, as Michael wrenched the sword out of its body with one powerful kick._

_Immediately after that, another imp from the spiraling group confronted him head on in raging fury, shouting words of blasphemy at him. Michael smirked sinisterly before swinging his sword down on the imp. Blood and dark red flesh spilt from the imp, as it was sliced in half almost perfectly._

_The other imps, previously unaware of what was happening to their comrades, quickly surrounded Michael and stared at him with bloodthirsty eyes. Saliva dripped from the mouths, as they thought about how Michael would taste. They knew this angel possessed immense powers, and they were eager to take it for themselves._

_Michael smirked._

"_Prepare to die, fuck heads!" Michael laughed, as a massive ball of fire formed a barrier around him, then blasted outward from his body._

_He closed his eyes and listened to the screams coming from the imps, who were slowly burning up and disintegrating into ashes. When he opened his eyes, all he saw ash floating away in the air. Satisfied with the power he restraint due to the lack of wars for so many years, he flew further downwards, hoping he'll encounter a few Nidhegs and devils. Hopefully, he will encounter the one person he has been dying to see…_

…_his brother. _

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PRESENT

As Michael the archangel descended towards the first gate of Hell, Alexiel's vice-general, Kurai, was riding on a Nidheg while casting powerful, demonic spells against the angels, which helped pave a clear path towards Heaven's Outpost of Anagura; a giant floating fortress.

Her mind was set on one task and that was to destroy the core of the outpost's structure: the engine.

As Kurai rode towards the outpost, she recalled the plan in her head. She must blast one side of the fortress to open a hole big enough for her Nidheg companion to enter. To create such a blast, she would have to create a highly concentrated energy beam that can bore a hole through the structure's defensive barrier. Next, she will have to fly her way through the building and locate the engine powering the fortress. There, she will attach an Inferno bomb on the engine and escape. Once out of the bomb's explosive reach, she will remotely detonate it, rendering the outpost immobile and bringing its defense system offline.

The destruction of the outpost will be key to Hell's success, because then the rest of Alexiel's army will easily be able to capture the fortress. The fortress will serve as a crucial supply post for when the army of demons attack the gate to Heaven's first layer: Shamaime.

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As she was thinking, a highly ranked angel flew behind her. The angel smirked as he raised his sword and sliced down towards her back. However, before the angel could finish his swing, a dark blade skewered his wrist, causing him to let go of his sword painfully, which quickly fell to the demon-infested ground. The wielder of the dark blade pulled the sword out of his wrist, which earned an agonizing scream from him. Before the angel's other hand could clutch his wounded wrist, his attacker slashed off his wings. He rapidly fell into the pits of Anagura Hell in pain and agony, as he stared at his slayer, who quickly appeared smaller and smaller as he fell lower…

…the organic angel, Alexiel!

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"Foolish angel…" spoke an emotionless Alexiel, who was staring at the wingless angel as he fell further and further down. She glanced at Kurai, making sure she was unscathed then flew closer towards her.

Having heard a loud scream from behind, Kurai turned around to see Alexiel floating slightly above her with her three beautiful white wings beating effortlessly to keep her afloat. She noticed the Nanatsusaya that Alexiel held gently was dripping with bright, fresh blood. Kurai failed to notice the blood stained wings that were cut off from the angel she couldn't detect. They were floating down the sky like feathers would on a windy day, except with light sparkles that slowly faded away as it trailed the wings' path. Clueless to exactly what just happened, she interrogated her leader.

"Umm, did I miss something?" Kurai questioned with a confused look on her face.

"Yes, Kurai. Next time, _do_ try to examine your surroundings, _especially_ your back…" replied Alexiel with a slight hint of exasperation.

"Heheh, oops, sorry!" Kurai apologized nervously as she scratched the back of her head. Just then another male angel descended upon her, trying to cut her in half with his sword. Kurai managed to dodge it barely and in retaliation she began to chant a fiery spell.

"GOD DAMNIT! These angels are-so-fucking-ANNOYING!" cursed Kurai, as her spell released a huge ball of fire from her palms, which caused the attacking angel and his comrades behind him to burst into dark flames, and scream in pain and agony from the burns.

"Be sure to watch your front along with your rear, Kurai. You almost died earlier if it weren't for me and again just now," noted Alexiel, as she swiftly thrust Nanatsusaya through an angel's chest, spraying blood on her arm. She kicked it out of the lifeless angel, and then proceeded to cut off another one's arm.

"Kurai, quickly finish your task while I distract them from entering," ordered Alexiel as she skewered the throat of another nameless angel. She flew further away from Kurai and Heaven's Anagura Outpost, making sure no angel came close to her close ally.

"Right!" replied Kurai as she began chanting a focused energy attack. A vertical circle of bright orange light formed in front of her. Demonic symbols began to rotate around the edges of the circle, and gradually glowed brighter as the demonic star symbol appeared in the center of the circle. Kurai soon neared the main chant of the spell.

"_Spirits of Fire, Guardians of Hell! Bring forth thy scorching flames and molten lava! Forge them into one and grant me the power to wield it! Create a spell so strong it that it will rival the strength of twelve Suns! As the leader of Evils, princess of the Gehenna Empire, and the true successor of Hell's Three Mighty Dragons, I summon forth the Obscure Lance of Infinite Hell!"_ chanted Kurai.

Suddenly, a small, fiery portal appeared beside Kurai, spitting out flame and molten lava that didn't affect her arm and the Nidheg she rode. At first, the flame and lava flew out of the portal in all directions, but within seconds they merged together by whirling together in an invisible vortex. A long, enormous lance began to materialize from the two ingredients. Soon enough, Kurai was gripping onto a lance engulfed in flames and made of lava. She was able to hold the lance with ease thanks to the additional powers granted during the summoning of the weapon.

"Alright Nidheg, let's melt our way through the fortress and teach those angels a lesson!" Kurai smirked. She received an approving growl from her Nidheg, so she positioned her _Obscure Lance of Infinite Hell_ horizontally in an attacking position, and proceeded to bore a path into the outpost.

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Meanwhile,

Michael angled his wings so that he dove towards an imp and sliced its body in half, its content raining everywhere. A horde of demons flocked towards him. He flew through them as he performed an unbeatable combination of whirling sword spins, swipes, and uppercuts. He was slicing his way through the carnage, eager to put an end to this futile revolt. He had one target in mind: Alexiel, the one who was most likely the one responsible for this act.

'_That traitorous bitch is probably waiting cozily at the back of her fucking army!' _thought Michael angrily. Unfortunately for him, Michael never fought Alexiel before, therefore had no idea that she was at his outpost, trying to immobilize it with help of Kurai.

Thus, Michael was recklessly descending farther and farther away from his goal. At least he was slicing and dicing some evil demons! (A/N :D )

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As Michael moved farther apart from Alexiel, Alexiel herself was fighting off a wave of angels, which were greatly outnumbered by the legion of demons. However, despite this major disadvantage, the angels from the outpost were holding on fairly well, and without her intervention, the battle would drag on for hours.

"Let's speed things up a bit…" Alexiel mumbled to herself as she began to cast a spell. Unlike Kurai, Alexiel was one of the most powerful beings created by God, and she was skilled enough to cast several powerful spells without an invocation. She chose to summon a demonic spell for this moment, since it was likely that the angels had some form of resistance to any holy spells.

Alexiel raised the hand without the Nanatsusaya.

A thread of fire appeared, and formed a small whirl above her. At an alarming rate, the thread of fire became thicker and longer. Soon enough, a massive vortex of broiling, white-hot fire surrounded her in a ring. The fire ring lowered until Alexiel was above it. Like Kurai's spell, a circle of orange light appeared within the ring, and four giant demonic symbols appeared in smaller light circles within the larger circle at different points: north, south, east, west. Various lines of orange light linked to the smaller circles like a fancy pattern made only out of lines. Finally, the demonic star formed, and all of its points touched the edges of the circle.

(A/N: If you've seen Fullmetal Alchemist, you'll know that those are the circles I tried to base them off of.)

Alexiel then lowered her hand and had her palm face the angels below her, which also meant it was going to hit the earth. After finding a suitable area that would deal the most damage to the angels and the least to her demon allies, she tightened her hand into a fist and punched through the spell circle. The circle and its patterns glowed until an extremely bright flare flashed throughout the sky and earth. A massive tornado of fire twisted out of the ring of fire, and it was blasting towards the ground at sonic speed.

The angels she targeted were busy descending upon the _ascending_ demons so many of them failed to see hit them. The one thing most of those angels detected from the attack was the growing heat on their back, and the suddenly boiling blood in their body. The few that did look up saw a massive wall of fire blowing in their face. Their bodies were engulfed in flame and turned black and crispy. Those at the center of the tornado withered away into ashes. After the tornado of fire passed through them, this one part of the sky was experiencing a hail of ashes and large, charred, irregular chunks.

"Well, that should keep things in our favor," said Alexiel as she decided to fly closer to the outpost.

**

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**

Michael was still and silent.

A massive twister made of scorching flames _just_ missed him by a few feet. He was still looking upwards, witnessing a bunch of his allies falling down in large masses of charred flesh. Ashes pelted his face, hitting as hard as hail. He continued staring up. Then, he lowered his head and had a dark look on his face. The redhead's bangs covered his eyes and forehead in darkness. He was silent. Too silent…

**

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**

… A small imp fluttered its way towards an angel with red hair, slowly coming up from behind. It paused, wondering exactly what the hell this redhead angel was doing staying still and all. Then the imp shrugged, and flapped towards him slowly with its hands flexing and ready to dig its claws into the angel's neck. Slowly the imp was making its way until it was just a few feet away from him. It raised its claw and was about to slash the angel when—

- a hand on his face, with fire perspiring from the hand. At first, it was scalding. Now, it was scorching hot! The imp was unable to yell out in pain since by then the hand was surrounded in magma and melting an imprint into its skull. Its eyes lit on fire, and his entire face was melting and turning red. The liquid within the imp's face began to boil, and its body began to shake uncontrollably.

The angel with the flaming hand tightened his grip on the imp's head until it exploded into a burning mess. Blood erupted from the newly opened neck, and the sky around it was raining with demon blood. The imp's presently smoking body fell lower down the sky as it was released from the grip of the angel's hand.

**

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**

Michael was getting pissed. _**REEEAAALLLLY** _pissed.

But not because his angelic 'friends' were _incinerated_, nor was it due to a weak imp's pre-emptive attack on him, no sire! He only had one thing in his mind:

"Nobody… and I mean **_nobody_**, use such powerful fire but **me**! **N-O-B-O-D-Y-!**"

Severely frustrated and annoyed by the recent events, his wings gave a powerful flap, swiftly launching him upwards at an accelerating rate.

A demon with dark, bat-like wings headed towards him as he made his way up to the weakening outpost.

"Get the fuck outta my way!" Michael yelled before clobbering the demon into a falling pile of broken bones, tattered batwings, and mutilated flesh.

"I am going to kill the demon responsible for that attack, I will!" growled Michael menacingly as he swiftly flew back to the outpost.

Unaware of the fact that he completely forgot about Alexiel '_at the back of her army_', Michael the fiery archangel ironically makes his way towards Alexiel.

_To be continued…_

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**Author's Rant:** So what did you guys (and girls) think? Did everybody enjoy this chapter? I know I did! _Especially_ typing up Michael's fury, which was so much fun! I promise things will only get better from here and that the next chapter, "Confrontation Part 3 – Exposure and Reunion" will end this small arc! **Please drop a review in**, because that's what mainly motivates me to continue writing this story (along with some spontaneous obsessions for Angel Sanctuary every now and then). Stay tuned for more and thank you to all my readers!


	5. Confrontation: Part 03

**Author's Rant: **I finally updated! I'm so sorry for the long, long, LONG delay. As a reward for everyone's patience, I have decided to make my rant short and this chapter very good and very long! Oh, and the next chapter is already outlined and ready to be typed! Again, thanks for all the reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Angel Sanctuary, but I do own this story.

**Types of dialogues:**

"talking"

"_chants, spells, etc."_

'_thoughts'_

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Chapter 5: Confrontation Part 3 – Playing with Fire

Michael soared towards the clouds, hacking and slashing away any obstacles between him and his fire-casting target. During his little "journey", he managed to mutilate, kill, and utterly obliterate exactly six devils, two Nidhegs, fourteen Gehennian evils, and seventy-eight bat-winged imps. Not bad for a start.

Once he had killed those pathetic fools, he noticed someone he knew quite, quite well: the organic angel, Alexiel. She was busily slicing apart his "brothers in arms", and spilling their blood throughout the sky. His mouth widened into a teeth-baring smile as he gave her a menacing glare.

'_Well, well, look who's here! This should be fun…_' Michael thought as he swiftly flapped his wings up towards Alexiel's position, hoping to draw first blood. 

oOo

Alexiel looked down just in time to parry the archangel's upward sword slash. She then gracefully back-flipped and blasted a few fireballs at her attacker. When the fireballs made contact with the other enemy, they exploded, releasing thick black smoke that momentarily shrouded her attacker. When the smoke faded away, she finally noticed it was none other than Michael, the great archangel of fire and the general of Heaven's "glorious" army. Alexiel felt a tinge of excitement ripple through her body as she finally met her match.

'_No wonder my spells didn't work, since he does, after all, have an immunity to fire. This should prove to be quite an interesting battle…_' 

oOo

Meanwhile, inside the fortress of Assiah-Anagura, the few soldiers who stayed behind to keep the fortress active were in a frantic mess.

"Lieutenant! A group of demons are nearing our base! Our soldiers can't hold them back much longer!" informed a sweating intelligence officer.

Lieutenant Sashael slammed his fist on a table with a large holographic image of the battleground, which was powered by light magic. "Arghhh! How many demons are approaching officer?"

"I-I don't know! At least a hundred or so, maybe even more!" The officer replied nervously, "Our shields are down 57 and roughly half of our defensive weapons are nearly destroyed! Sir, I suggest we bail out and retreat!"

Sashael smacked the speaking officer on the head. "Calm down, officer! We will not be abandoning this fortress. We must keep those bastardly demons at bay."

"But sir-"

"SILENCE! I'd rather stay here even if it kills me rather than retreat and die anyway from Michael-sama's wrath!"

The officer quieted down and whimpered.

Suddenly, one of the engineers' eyes widened and he got off his seat, nervously running up to the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Sashael! An enemy is penetrating through our defenses right here! The walls can't hold much longer. Sir, we need to get out no-AAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!"

The engineer angel yowled in pain as a lance of molten lava drove melted right through his body from behind. He was soon lifted from the floor, causing the lance to cut up to his collarbone, and then tossed several feet to the side, smashing into a wall headfirst. A barely audible crack could be heard from the skull, adding a final insult before the unfortunate angel's death.

Meanwhile, the Nidheg the infiltrator rode opened its jaws and snapped it shut, eating and tearing apart the intelligent officer and every other angel within the room except the lieutenant.

oOo

Sashael stood nervously transfixed at the sight before him: a young demoness riding on a grotesque zombie dragon, which just made a hole through his fortress, and wielding an unbelievably gigantic lance covered in molten lava. Sashael looked at the rapier he held with both hands and sweat dropped.

'_This is NOT my day…_' 

The lieutenant of the Assiah-Anagura outpost dropped his sword to the floor with a loud clang and ran away as fast as he could, praying for "Godspeed".

oOo

"Coward," muttered Kurai as she jumped off her Nidheg and motioned for it to fly away from the fortress. Kurai was then running to the door located in the room she breached. She placed a hand on the doorknob, but hastily let go as it was enveloped in a neon blue light. She felt her hands begin to melt when the blue light contacted her palms. She scratched the side of her tilted head as she carefully examined the entrance for any spells or defensive measures.

"A holy seal enchantment, huh? Well, no matter, this one shouldn't take too long to break," replied Kurai as she began to cast a dispel charm, "I should be at the engine room in no time!"

oOo

Michael and Alexiel were beating their wings in order to stay afloat, and were face to face with each other. Both stared at each other in silence, and emanated such powerful auras that neither angels nor demons were willing to get near them.

Michael then rested his long sword on the back of his shoulders and pointed at the rebellion's leader with shaky hands. His shakiness was not out of fear, however. In fact, he was shaking with exhilaration, because he was finally able to find an opponent worthy enough to pique his interest.

"Heh. So you're the one who unleashed that high-powered fire spell right, organic angel Alexiel?"

Alexiel gave a smile that flickered away as fast as it came. "Who else did you expect?"

Michael shrugged. "Well, it was either you, the Gehennian princess, a group of highly-ranked necromancer, or one of the Seven Sinners. To be quite honest, I was a little surprised to see you though. I thought the leader was supposed to sit back and relax at the rear of the army. At least, that's the way it functions in one of those pathetic human armies."

Alexiel smirked, "The same could be said to you, Michael."

He returned the smirk, "I suppose, though in a way I am at the back of my army, since we are located at my outpost."

Alexiel smiled as she positioned her seven-bladed sword in front of her.

"So, shall we dance then?"

Michael grinned with anticipation as he positioned his sword horizontally, in a position perfect for thrusting his blade straight into her stomach. His aura of flames began to radiate more brilliantly.

"Whatever the hell you say, bitch."

oOo

Meanwhile, Kurai was beginning to dispel the _twentieth_ heavenly enchantment blocking her way to the engine. Room by room she was getting closer, but at the rate she was going it won't be until thirty minutes later that she will be able to reach the engine room. That was the loss of thirty minutes of time so precious that each action in every one of those minutes could lead to victory or defeat for Hell.

'Damn it! Why did those damn angels HAVE to seal everything with enchantments!' Kurai cursed mentally. This was going to take her a lot longer than she expected. '_Everyone, please hang on a little longer…_' 

oOo

Above the Assiah-Anagura outpost, the clanging of battle-worn blades echoed throughout the sky, as two highly opposing entities blocked, parried, and swiped at each other. One after the other, they would take turns swinging their swords at each other, and each time they would be unsuccessful at harming one another. To the eyes of the many angels and demons surrounding them, their fighting and movements were so rhythmic and interwoven that it imitated a complex and fast-paced dance between two energetic and emotionally charged "partners". Their skills and techniques were clearly above and beyond anyone else in this battle, and both sides were sane enough not to interfere. To interfere in the duel of these two fates would be suicidal.

oOo

A loud clang rung through the air as Michael's flaming sword traded blows with Alexiel's Nanatsusaya. Both combatants' swords stayed locked still, neither one refusing to back down as the edges of the blades scraped each other, causing sparks to fly.

Alexiel and Michael's faces were inches apart during the equal exchange between swords. As the standstill dragged on, a barely noticeable smile found its way on Alexiel's lips.

"I'm impressed Michael. You seem to have grown quite a bit."

Michael smirked, "Of course! And soon, I'll be as tall as the other male angels!"

Alexiel's smile widened into a smirk.

"I wasn't talking about your height, _shorty_."

Suddenly, Michael cracked.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?" Michael roared, as a strong surge of anger, hatred, and strength coursed through his body. The increased power broke the stalemate between their weapons, and forced Alexiel to withdraw with an effortless beating of her wings. Alexiel let out a soft giggle as she resumed her battle-ready stance again.

"Now that's more like it!"

Michael let out a menacing growl and glared with fiery eyes. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME AGAIN! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

The psychotic archangel of fire raised his left hand and summoned a ring of fireballs encircling him from head to toe. "TAKE THIS, BITCH!"

Michael let out a maniacal laugh as he blasted the great balls of fire towards Alexiel from nearly every direction. Alexiel reacted quickly by muttering a counter-spell where a sphere of water enveloped her like a barrier. The fireballs smashed into the wall of water and cancelled each other out, which in turn created a thick fog around her. Alexiel beat her wings as quickly as possible in order to fan away the cloud of fog.

A second barrage of fireballs blasted towards her from the front, and she barely countered with a shield of water, which quickly burst into a thick cloud of fog when the fireballs hit. She maneuvered her way out of the fog, only to be bombarded by more and more fireballs. She barely defended against each one. Soon enough a swarm of fireballs shot up from below her, and she was forced to beat her wings upwards as she unleashed a water spell that flooded the area below her like a hurricane. Occupied with the threat of fireballs from below, and blinded by the thick fog of water vapor, she was unaware of Michael's ambush from above.

"Ha ha! I've gotcha now!" Michael laughed maniacally, as he dove down towards Alexiel with his sword aimed directly at her neck. This was it, the end of this short and futile rebellion. He was going to kill the big-breasted bitch that dared to play with _his_ fire. He thought it was a shame that the battle would end so quickly. _'Oh well, at least it was fun while it lasted.'_

"Prepare to die, bitch!"

oOo

Alexiel looked up and saw the hotheaded angel diving towards her at an alarming rate. She noticed his sword pointing right at her, piercing through the air in order to stab her.

'_Damn it! I'm too late!_' 

Alexiel tried to hold her Nanatsusaya in front of her, but there was not enough time to do so. Just before Michael's blade struck her, Alexiel squeezed her eyes shut, and the last thing she saw was a bright flash coming from Nanatsusaya. She braced for the impact…

But it never came.

oOo

Michael froze in a state of shock. He couldn't believe. He _just_ couldn't believe it. There was no fucking way he was there, looking directly up at him, and staring right at him, with those horrific, black eyes…

Michael then saw _him_ smirk.

"It's been a while… _brother_."

Michael's eyes widened.

"Lucifer…"

To be continued…

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**Author's Rant:** How's that for a cliffhanger:D Tell me what you think by reviewing please! 


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